Standing Together in Compassion: Supporting Our 16 Haitian Congregations
November 12, 2026
A National Response. A Regional Commitment. A Local Expression of Christ's Love.
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.” — 1 Corinthians 12:26
As we enter this season of gratitude and thanksgiving, the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey (ABCNJ) is reminded that our calling to be Together in God's Work extends beyond celebration and fellowship. It calls us to stand alongside one another, especially when members of our regional family are facing hardship, fear, and uncertainty.
Across the nation, Haitian families and congregations are experiencing significant challenges related to immigration concerns, loss of employment, financial instability, family separation, and emotional distress. These challenges have intensified following changes affecting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants, creating uncertainty for individuals and families who have built their lives, served their communities, and contributed faithfully to the life of our churches.
Here in New Jersey, our 16 Haitian congregations are a vital and cherished part of the ABCNJ family. Their ministry, faithfulness, cultural richness, and witness to Jesus Christ strengthen our shared life and mission.
During this challenging season, we are called not only to recognize their concerns but to respond together with compassion, prayer, generosity, and practical support.
Listening with Compassion: ABCNJ Haitian Community Listening & Response Meeting
On September 16, 2026, Rev. Dr. Miriam Mendez, Executive Minister and Senior Regional Pastor of ABCNJ, and Rev. Dieudonne Merinvil, Associate Regional Pastor for Haitian Ministries, convened the ABCNJ Haitian Community Listening & Response Meeting.
The meeting brought together Haitian pastors and members of ABCNJ's regional leadership team, Rev. Eric Hoheisel and Rev. Dr. James Jackson, for honest conversation, attentive listening, and shared discernment. The gathering gave Haitian pastors an opportunity to share concerns affecting their congregations, families, and communities, while exploring ways the wider ABCNJ family could offer meaningful support.
During the gathering, Haitian pastors shared the challenges facing their congregations and families, including financial hardship, immigration concerns, and emotional and spiritual burdens. Despite these uncertainties, their faith and resilience remain a powerful witness to God's sustaining grace. The conversation reminded us that we are one family in Christ, called to bear one another's burdens, strengthen one another in hope, and respond with compassion, generosity, and love. The message was clear: our Haitian brothers and sisters must not face these challenges alone.
Our Wider American Baptist Family Is Responding: The Work of ABHMS
Across the country, American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has been responding to similar concerns through emergency financial assistance, pastoral engagement, and ministry partnerships.
In its September 28, 2026, article, “As Haitians Face Life After TPS, American Baptists Respond to a Mounting Crisis,”ABHMS described the growing hardships confronting Haitian individuals, families, and congregations.( https://abhms.org/news-and-mission-stories/as-haitians-face-life-after-tps-american-baptists-respond-to-a-mounting-crisis)
According to the report, ABHMS awarded $135,000 through 27 One Great Hour of Sharing emergency grants to churches and ministries serving Haitian communities in seven states, including New Jersey. These grants are helping congregations respond to immediate needs such as food, rent, utilities, transportation, temporary housing, childcare, and access to qualified legal assistance. Recognizing that the need extends beyond available resources, ABHMS also announced an effort to raise an additional $250,000 to continue and expand its emergency response.
We are grateful for the work of ABHMS and the wider American Baptist family, whose commitment demonstrates the importance of standing alongside vulnerable communities with compassion, dignity, and practical care.
This national response provides both encouragement and inspiration for our own regional efforts. ABHMS is responding nationally. ABCNJ is mobilizing regionally. Our congregations are invited to respond locally. Together, we can strengthen the connections between national resources, regional leadership, and the local churches that know their communities and families best.
Our Regional Response: ABCNJ Haitian Compassion Relief
Building on the concerns shared during the September 16 meeting and encouraged by the work of ABHMS, ABCNJ invites our regional family to join in a coordinated expression of support for our 16 Haitian congregations and the families they serve.
The ABCNJ Haitian Compassion Relief Initiative seeks to bring together our churches' generosity, relationships, professional expertise, and ministry resources to respond to immediate needs while strengthening congregational resilience. We recognize that the needs are significant and that no single congregation or organization can meet them all. Yet we believe that when we bring our gifts and resources together, we can make a meaningful difference.
An Invitation to Every ABCNJ Congregation: Give, Pray, and Partner
The call to compassion belongs to our entire regional family.
Our 16 Haitian congregations are not separate from ABCNJ's life. They are part of our shared identity, our common mission, and our covenant relationships in Jesus Christ.
During this season, we invite every ABCNJ congregation, pastor, ministry leader, and individual to prayerfully consider how they can participate in this expression of Christian love.
Give: Make a Financial Contribution
We invite congregations and individuals to support the ABCNJ Haitian Compassion Relief Fund, a proposed designated giving initiative to assist our Haitian congregations and the families they serve. Financial gifts can help provide emergency support for essential family needs and strengthen coordinated ministry responses.
Churches may choose to receive a special offering, make a designated mission contribution, or encourage individual giving. Every gift, large or small, can express hope and solidarity.
Pray: Stand Together in Faith
We invite all ABCNJ congregations to pray intentionally with and for our Haitian brothers and sisters. Set aside time during Sunday worship, prayer gatherings, Bible studies, and congregational meetings to remember Haitian pastors, families, children, and communities.
Pray for peace amid uncertainty, provision amid hardship, wisdom for pastoral leaders, protection for vulnerable families, and strength for congregations continuing to serve faithfully.
We also encourage churches to consider establishing prayer partnerships with Haitian congregations, building relationships that reflect our unity in Christ.
Partner: Put Compassion into Action
Beyond financial giving and prayer, congregations can offer practical expressions of support. Churches may be able to provide groceries, meals, transportation, childcare assistance, or connections to community resources.
Individuals with relevant professional experience in legal services, counseling, social work, and other areas may also be able to contribute their knowledge and expertise through appropriate partnerships.
Our hope is that these efforts will create lasting relationships of mutual encouragement and support across the region. We are not simply asking our churches to respond to a crisis. We are inviting them to deepen our shared life and ministry as one ABCNJ family.
Together in God's Work: Compassion That Connects Us
The September 16 Haitian Community Listening & Response Meeting reminded us that faithful ministry begins by listening to the experiences and needs of others.
ABHMS's national response reminds us of the strength and generosity of our wider American Baptist family.
And the invitation before ABCNJ reminds us that each congregation has a meaningful role in God's work of compassion, healing, and hope.
As we celebrate this season of thanksgiving, let us remember that gratitude is expressed not only in the words we offer to God, but also in the love we extend to our neighbors.
May our gratitude lead to generosity. May our prayers lead to meaningful relationships. May our shared faith lead to compassionate action. And may our Haitian pastors, congregations, and families feel assured that they are valued, supported, and surrounded by a regional family committed to walking alongside them.
16 Haitian Congregations. One ABCNJ Family. Together in God's Work.
Together, we listen. Together, we care. Together, we respond.
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